http://www.jewishagency.org/rss/blog/1/tag/2916
enViolence in Israel Escalates: The Jewish Agency Respondshttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/17846
<p><strong>UPDATED THURSDAY 10 JULY 2014, 16:00 JERUSALEM TIME</strong></p>
<p><em>Aliyah &amp; Absorption</em></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">As noted in previous updates, we have over </span><strong style="line-height: 1.538em;">2,500</strong><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> new </span><em style="line-height: 1.538em;">olim</em><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> in the Southern region (Ibim, Be'er Sheva, etc), and all are being provided with the necessary therapy and guidance. All facilities are secure, with up to date emergency equipment.</span></p>Tue, 08 Jul 2014 16:16:45 +0000The Jewish Agency17846 at http://www.jewishagency.orgGlobal Aliyah Center Faces Wave of Aliyah Appeals from Francehttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/31821
<p>The Global service center of TJA, working daily to assist those seeking to make Aliyah worldwide, has seen a 300% increase in demand for its Center’s services since the Paris attacks. Suddenly, the Global Center is the address for a different kind of phone call: tearful calls from families in Paris, relatives of the victims, parents fearing for the lives of their children as they attend Jewish schools. This is the story of human response...</p>Thu, 15 Jan 2015 17:33:17 +0000Nathan Roi31821 at http://www.jewishagency.orgYoav Hattab is Brought to Rest After Paris Attack: Ilanit Kourchia Remembershttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/31681
<p>Ilanit Kourchia begins with a story. As a child in Nice, France, she had always been interested in Jewish life in Tunis; when she met a young Tunisian Jewish girl who arrived in Paris, the girl told her that on the plane she was told by a young man, “You are coming to France, my sister. Take the Star of David off your neck. You are coming to France – you are no longer in Tunis.”</p>
<p>This says it all, Ilanit tells me.</p>Tue, 13 Jan 2015 16:15:46 +0000Nathan Roi31681 at http://www.jewishagency.orgHundreds of French Jews Attend Jewish Agency Aliyah Fair in Central Parishttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/31576
<p><strong>PARIS</strong> – Hundreds of French Jews are attending a Jewish Agency for Israel Aliyah (immigration to Israel) information fair taking place today (Sunday, January 11) under tight security in central Paris. The fair had been planned in advance of the past week's tragic events.</p>Sun, 11 Jan 2015 14:36:26 +0000The Jewish Agency31576 at http://www.jewishagency.orgAliyah Hits Ten-Year High: Approximately 26,500 New Immigrants Arrived in Israel in 2014http://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/31301
<p><strong>JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – According to end-of-year figures released today (Wednesday, December 31) by The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, Aliyah (immigration to Israel) hit a ten-year high in 2014, with the arrival of some 26,500 new immigrants. This marks a significant 32% increase over last year's number of approximately 20,000 immigrants.</strong></p>Fri, 02 Jan 2015 15:05:27 +0000The Jewish Agency31301 at http://www.jewishagency.orgJewish Voices from the Former Soviet Unionhttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/21366
<p><span style="font-size:14px;">This is my first time at Jewish Agency camp. My sister is the one who told me about it – she’s a counselor here. Before camp, my only Jewish activity was the Sunday school. I like learning about Israel and I want to know Hebrew, so I plan to sign up for more activities in the city, and I’m definitely coming back to camp next summer! –<em>Alina Gribtsova, 9, Dnepropetrovsk</em></span></p>Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:07:03 +0000The Jewish Agency21366 at http://www.jewishagency.orgJewish Agency Brings Dozens of Teens from Embattled Areas of Ukraine to Special Summer Camp in Israelhttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/21086
<p><strong>JERUSALEM</strong> – <strong>The Jewish Agency for Israel</strong> has brought dozens of Jewish teenagers from the embattled areas of Ukraine to a special summer camp in Israel, thanks to funding from the <strong>Jewish Federations of North America</strong> and <strong>UJA Federation of Greater Toronto</strong>. At the same time, there has been a significant increase in the number of immigrants to Israel from southeastern Ukraine, as well as in the number of inquiries to Jewish Agency representatives regarding immigration to Israel.</p>Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:29:32 +0000The Jewish Agency21086 at http://www.jewishagency.orgIn Ashkelon, Hope Blossomshttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20876
<p><span dir="LTR">She is only 13 and entering 8<sup>th</sup> grade, but Elinor Izun will soon be like her older brother Elior, head of the youth council in Ashkelon, running volunteer initiatives all on her own, planting seeds of hope and strength among the city’s youths. Lately, she loves dancing, singing, and of course hiking, but today, she’s already used to communal work in Ashkelon.</span></p>Fri, 08 Aug 2014 19:29:15 +0000Chen Mor20876 at http://www.jewishagency.orgThe Power of Respite Programming for Children in Southern Israelhttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20821
<p><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">The Jewish Agency’s Respite Programming is specifically designed to provide relief for children and young teens in Southern Israel and to empower them to cope with a situation that is too often frightening as they remain indoors all day, and as family tensions run high. We bring expertise to the task of providing relief and support. We have conducted Respite Programs for Children five times since the Lebanon War.</span></p>Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:34:18 +0000The Jewish Agency20821 at http://www.jewishagency.orgShlichut Starts at Home: “Without question, this is not an easy time to be a Shaliach, away from home.”http://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20791
<p>Meet Noa Ben-Hamu, the coordinator of Summer Camp Shlichim for The Jewish Agency. Although she’s no stranger to working with children – she did a short-term shlichut and is an expert in managing activities and finding her way into children’s hearts – this time, the activity was a bit unusual.</p>Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:59:17 +0000The Jewish Agency20791 at http://www.jewishagency.orgSummertime in Ukrainehttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20776
<p><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">It's a hot summer in Ukraine. And the streets are mostly empty of children.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Anna Landberg, director of The Jewish Agency summer camp in Kharkov in eastern Ukraine, sighs as she remembers the difficulty of recruiting for summer camps.</span></p>Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:29:35 +0000The Jewish Agency20776 at http://www.jewishagency.orgIsraeli Businesses Under Firehttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20656
<p>Upon her return from Shlichut in North America, Monica became the director of a new Jewish Agency program for Israelis living abroad – a program that she ushered from concept to reality. Last June, as she was completing her role with that project, the security situation in the south was escalating, and she searched for a way to use her connections and skills in social media.</p>Wed, 06 Aug 2014 15:34:21 +0000Nathan Roi20656 at http://www.jewishagency.orgKibbutz Under Firehttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20626
<p>On the eve of the Ninth of Av this year, members of Kibbutz Alumim took their traditional pre-fast meal out of the communal dining hall to safe rooms and bomb shelters.</p>
<p>“Since the ceasefire,” Kobi Tzur, treasurer of the kibbutz tells me, “There are more air sirens than ever before.”</p>
<p>The war continues to rage on the battlefield of the kibbutz, and throughout, locals are worried about the future of their kibbutz economy.</p>Mon, 04 Aug 2014 20:48:21 +0000Nathan Roi20626 at http://www.jewishagency.orgThe Déjà Vu of Tisha B’Avhttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20621
<p><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Today is August 4th. Tisha B’Av starts tonight. It is a hard day nationally for us as a people – and for me personally.</span></p>Mon, 04 Aug 2014 20:34:53 +0000Misha Galperin20621 at http://www.jewishagency.orgThe Sirens Made Me Israelihttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20616
<p>“It’s quieter here than in Johannesburg,” Yael Druckman, 23, tells me. Druckman, who recently made Aliyah with her family and now lives in The Jewish Agency’s Beit Brodetsky Absorption Center in Tel Aviv, studying Hebrew in the Center’s Ulpan. “I came here from South Africa and I can say: Life is better here, even during war time.”</p>Mon, 04 Aug 2014 16:56:50 +0000Nathan Roi20616 at http://www.jewishagency.orgJust A Minutehttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20541
<p><em style="line-height: 1.538em;">Just a minute!</em><br /><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">Then 60 seconds, helter-skelter</span><br /><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">Of space and time,</span><br /><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">from here to shelter.</span></p>Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:25:33 +0000The Jewish Agency20541 at http://www.jewishagency.orgLike Father like Son: Standing in Solidarity http://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20531
<p>Robert Gilbert of Miami, FL, joined by his son, Evan, a student at Vanderbilt University, arrived at the JFNA solidarity mission in Israel to stand in support with the citizens living in the front lines of Operation Protective edge.</p>
<p>Robert, a trustee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, stressed how the mission is a real opportunity to show commitment and support to the citizens of Israel.</p>
<p>"The most important part of this mission for me is showing solidarity with the citizens of Israel who have been affected by the crisis," said Evan, 21.</p>Thu, 31 Jul 2014 18:46:40 +0000Chen Mor20531 at http://www.jewishagency.org“Wings of the Dove” Leader, Abba Tagenia, Runs a Volunteer Project for the Soldiershttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20511
<p>The director of the absorption center, Moshe Hasdai, said that once the staff of the absorption center set a personal example by donating and buying equipment for the combat soldiers in the Gaza Strip, the spirit of volunteerism spread among residents of the center.</p>Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:35:04 +0000Nathan Roi20511 at http://www.jewishagency.orgLiving in a Gloomy Fantasy: A Wartime Diaryhttp://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20431
<p>For me, this time is very difficult. We lost my cousin Noam z"l during the Second Lebanon war, his memorial day is coming up in about 10 days and this year I won't be able to be there as I am so pregnant...</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">Anytime there is some conflict here I feel like it's going to hit close to home, I think we all feel like it as Israel is such a small country and as we all know each other. This why we stand united so firmly at this time. We are sending the best ones out there. Each of them falling in battle is a terrible loss of whole worlds. </span></p>Wed, 30 Jul 2014 19:15:35 +0000The Jewish Agency20431 at http://www.jewishagency.orgLone Soldiers Embraced By Golani Heroes http://www.jewishagency.org/blog/1/article/20416
<p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">Israel’s bloodiest battle was the battle of Bint Jbeil conducted in the third week of the Second Lebanon War, at the end of July in 2006. The battle was fought by the Golani forces and the Paratroopers Brigade, against Hezbollah terrorists in a town with thousands of buildings. Battalion 51 along with seventeen other troopers participated in this battle, and were decorated as war heroes.</span></p>Wed, 30 Jul 2014 18:16:45 +0000Nathan Roi20416 at http://www.jewishagency.org